Daily Dose of Protest: Land of the Free – Priscillia Renea

Cover of Priscilla Renea’s upcoming album, Coloured, due out June 22, 2018.

Priscillia Renea is an eclectic singer and songwriter whose tunes run the gamut from soul, r&b, pop, country and all points in between. She has written hits for multiple artists including Rihanna,  Pit Bull, Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert.

On June 22, 2018 she is set to release Coloured, the long awaited follow up to her 2009 debut album Jukebox. The album is currently streaming in entirely on NPR and is well worth the listen. The personal narrative of the tunes are compelling and draw the listeners in. Many of songs also deal with the challenges of being black in America.

One of the highlights of the album is the poignant closing track, “Land of the Free”. The song addresses issues of police brutality and racial profiling. It also addresses questions about what degree of dissent is acceptable with the line “Make a little noise and they call it a riot”. That line also resonates with the subject of athletes kneeling for the national anthem and whether or not they should just shut up and dribble. Renea makes it clear that she is thankfully “not gonna be quiet”.  Her voice is vital and needs to be heard.